


You a Natural Everything

by RedLlamas



Series: Pride Month 2017 [1]
Category: The Get Down (TV)
Genre: Character Study, Curtis - Freeform, Gay Character, Gen, I set a challenge for myself and I already want to Kill Myself™, Pride, pride month, references to Dope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 20:07:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11088993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedLlamas/pseuds/RedLlamas
Summary: Pride Month 2017 Challenge for Myself: Write a fic about every day about a queer character.Curtis knows who he is, but he'd rather be Shaolin Fantastic, because Shaolin Fantastic doesn't need to think about that.





	You a Natural Everything

Curtis: of English and Old French origin, and the meaning of Curtis is "courteous, polite”.

He never thought he could be courteous or polite.

Under Fat Annie’s rule, he couldn’t. That wasn’t an option. Before her, he was just a kid on the street, an orphan. He went from place to place, always sleeping over at a friend’s house or the other. But then Annie had seen him, and had taken a liking to him.

Funny how her name meant “He has favored me.” She certainly favored him above all others, even her own son.

Dealing for her, spreading the dope all through the streets. He remembers back in the early days, he had teamed up with a brown kid named Jib and a black lesbian named Diggy. They had run the streets, for a while. He had tall hair, but no facial hair. They had fun, and were great friends, until Annie had switched him over two streets down. She had also threatened the lives of his friends if he didn’t go.

They’re still alive, today.

He watched a Bruce Lee movie, one day. It was Enter the Dragon. After watching it, he felt a calling. Watching Lee fight all those men, conquering the day, winning his love – that awakened a fighting spirit inside him. He would practice Lee’s fighting styles when he wasn’t dealing. He learned how to jump kick, how to run from rooftop to rooftop, he rewatched Enter the Dragon about 15 times in the opening week, all to see Lee.

It wasn’t until the 20th time watching the movie that he realized he might be watching it so many times for other reasons.

He stopped going.

This lasted two weeks.

(Of course he went back).

That’s when he took on the name of Shaolin Fantastic, because it sounded like he was some type of superhero, and because people don’t need to know everything about him.

He wanted to be a DJ. He knew he couldn’t do that for now, but he knew someday he would. For the meantime, he graffitied, he studied under the tutelage of Grandmaster Flash, he hustled.

He was sent on a mission to recover the Misty Halloway “Far Far Away” Carlo Pakoussa Remix disc.

He snatched it from a scrawny kid with big hair and even bigger ears. But the kid chased him down for it. He couldn’t scale the buildings like he could. But on a flight to the rooftop across the street, Shaolin couldn’t hold on to the disc. He held it against the edge, but like water cupped in hands, it slid out of his hands all the same.

As it fell, Shaolin realized he had never gotten a good look at the kid chasing him for the Pakoussa. He redirected his gaze from the disc to the kid, who was looking up at him, right into his eyes.

In that moment, every cloud in the sky disappeared and sunlight filled the boy’s eyes.

Shaolin didn’t believe in love at first sight –

The Pakoussa fell down right at the boy’s feet. He got it, looked back up at him, and started running away.

– But,

“Hey, motherfucker!”

~~~  
It was only fate that they had met again at Les Inferno.

After failing to fight the kid, Shaolin ran off into the night. When he returned to him, the kid was with his friends. He introduced himself, the kid’s name turned out to be Ezekiel Figuero, and he made friends.

He got a wordsmith as well.

He went to sleep that night thinking about big hair and even bigger ears.

~~~  
Zeke became his man. He became Zeke’s man. They would spend so much time together, they became inseparable. That is, until Mylene came around. Zeke would follow her like a dog would its owner. He loved her, Shao could tell. But knowing that didn’t stop his heart from clenching every time she was near.

She didn’t do anything to him, she didn’t deserve his harsh words. She was just a girl, who loved Zeke and that Zeke loved. Who could sing. Who was beautiful. Who was everything Zeke could want in a relationship.

Shaolin was still mean to her, still insulted her and called her names and put down her music (which was annoyingly good). She made Zeke smile on rainy days, make his voice ring with such a loveliness as he filled the air with poems she would sometimes hear, inspired him to go farther in life. Shao yearned for the moments when it was _he_ who made Zeke smile, _he_ who made him laugh with such vigor his thin frame would be _this_ close to collapsing in on itself, _he_ who made Zeke recite verses to the birds, to the sun, and to him, who would most definitely listen to every word that came from his lips.

Shao wanted to erase a letter from “she” in Zeke’s life.

Shao knew he was being irrational, that Zeke could chose whoever he wanted. That it would, in the end, be Zeke’s choice whether or not he stayed with Shao over Mylene, or vice versa.

He really wishes Zeke could make that decision faster, because the longer Shao had to wait on the verdict, the more he was starting to realize things about himself, things he hadn’t (didn’t) want to think about since 1973.

He doesn’t want to put a word on it. He knew that many others, namely Cadillac, had already or would be more than happy to label it with their own dredges. He knew, in a way, what he already was.

He had suspicions of Dizzee. After going to that club with the white boy, Thor, he came back … changed. He didn’t change, but he did. He seemed, wiser. The kid who spouts revolutionary call to arms and Rumi from the top of his head seemed wiser. Fucking amazing.

Shaolin took another week to figure out exactly how Dizzee changed.

After that, Shaolin felt more comfortable in his own skin. He didn’t really know about Zeke, but maybe that was because Zeke was with Mylene now, and he was “off-limits”.

~~~  
Shaolin went to the club that Dizzee had gone to. He had actually asked Dizzee where it was. Dizzee had only raised his eyebrows and told him the direction. When he asked him about it, Shaolin just answered with, “Work.”

(Dizzee looked a bit dejected at that. Shao didn’t think too much on it).

He stood at the entrance. He saw the other people enter, carefree, not worrying about who might see them or not.

He could see a bit of the inside, bright colors and even flashier people. Glitter covered every surface, streamers and balloons were all around. All types of people imaginable were present. The color purple shone on them all.

He took a gulp.

He stepped in.

~~~  
Shaolin Fantastic, the lady killing romantic.

He didn’t really know where that came from. It sure as hell didn’t come from him. And it’ll probably won’t be used anymore.

He had rescued Dizzee from his art room. They had to perform, to show Cadillac that they weren’t to be fucked around with. On the way to the set, though, Shao thought about the few words they had exchanged.

Alien brother.

He could jam with that. That could be his one label. The alternative could get him killed, or worse. He didn’t need to fuck with that.

Once they had arrived backstage, Dizzee stopped him, and looked at him in the eye. Shao didn’t think he could meet his gaze, but he did.

“Alien brother?”

He nodded.

Dizzee thought about this. Then, “Rumi wants to go to the opera, you know, right?”

“Yeah.”

“What if I told you he would like to see two?”

Oh.

“Shaolin, not me but like, Shaolin. Shaolin would like to go to one.”

“One? Just the one?”

He nodded. “Just the one. He could even meet up with Rumi in that one, if he wants.”

Dizzee smiled. “Okay. Shaolin and Rumi will go to an opera together.”

Shaolin – Curtis – nodded. “Okay. Time to make music.”

They enter the set. Curtis walks to his place behind the turntables, and Marcus grabs a mike.

The lights turn on. Charles has walked in.

Time to play.

 

Curtis had read Books’ college essay. It talked about him. And it said how much Zeke, Ezekiel, loved him but hated his work.

(Could he not see that he was trying to leave? That his past is strangling him and refusing to let him go?)

Curtis had told him his name. Now he had the power to curse him. To bless him. To throw any thunderstorm and lightning his way. (If Ezekiel could prophesy about the destruction of Jerusalem and the rebirth of Israel, surely Books could recite verses in which he destroyed his hope and rebuilt their relationship).

Zeke was going to Yale. Mylene was going to California. The Kiplings, they were fine just where they were.

But Curtis – Curtis would have to go back, to his youth, to the days when he had to work the streets and push down his own identity in order to survive.

He’s going to miss Curtis. He doesn’t know when he’ll be back.

But until then, Shaolin Fantastic will make sure they’re still alive.


End file.
